Fire Emblem: The Scouring
by Enigmatic Warrior
Summary: Once, dragon fought man in a war called The Scouring... This is that war. Rated T for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: _I've been thinking about this story for a while now, and I decided to start writing it. I'll try to update as often as possible, at least once a week if school allows it. Bear with me on some of the names _**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Fire Emblem, not I say!**

Time, the one thing that does not run out yet no one ever seems to have enough of. But, as I sit here in my agelessness, my immortality, times seems to have no meaning, no purpose. History is repeating itself, and the shadow of evil is gathering as it did in the past, and the folly of man shall bring ruin upon himself once more. I find myself thinking about old times, dark times, the time of the Scouring, and the role my companions and I played in it.

So I shall write this history, for I know that one day, the future of the world shall rest upon the shoulders of the youth, as it once rested upon mine and my friends.

This is the true story of the Scouring, the cataclysmic war between man and dragon.

-Athos


	2. Chapter 2

_Once, dragon fought man in a war called the Scouring…_

Berengier woke to the sounds of war. Clambering out of his bed, the grizzled fifty year old rushed to the window of his manse and looked down the mountain where city of Aix lay in its valley.

"So it's begun," Berengier gasped, recoiling from the sudden assault on his senses. A billowing cloud of black smoke filled the pre-dawn sky as the screams of men and women rent the air. The thick, putrid stench of burnt flesh carried by the strong wind was apparent, and the flames rising from the once prosperous city glowed with an intense orange. But most terrifying was not the hell that was on the ground, but the horror that flew in the sky.

Dozens of dragons of all shapes and color wheeled about above the doomed city, swooping down with fierce cries, flames bursting from their jaws to scorch the ground below.

Jerking himself away from the hellish scene, Berengier hurriedly began to tug on his armour. Fingers working with practiced dexterity, he had just finished tying his boots when the door to his private room burst open, revealing a boy no more than fourteen garbed in a cloth shirt and pants.

"Sir Berengier!" the boy cried, out of breath as if he'd been running. "Dragons are attac-"

"Silence, boy!" Berengier shouted, slapping the boy to the ground with his mailed fist. "How dare you barge into my private rooms without invitation?!" The boy picked himself off the floor and kneeled before the enraged knight. His body shook with barely contained fear as the muscular man approached him, fixing him with a harsh gaze. "Now, deliver your report like as a true knight would."

"Yes, father- I mean General Berengier, sir!" Rising from his position on the floor, he took a deep breath, remembering the orders he'd been given. "Dragons have attacked Aix, completely overpowering the garrison. The city lies in ruins, and the remainder of the army stationed at Fort Aetherius awaits your arrival." Report given, he once again kneeled on the floor. The general paced about, oblivious to his son's presence as he digested the information. Finally he stopped before the boy once again.

"I assume you are ready to leave?" Berengier asked. The boy gave a small nod. "Good. Prepare my pegasus, for I will be down shortly." Snapping a sharp salute, the boy rose and headed towards the door. "Hold a moment," Berengier commanded. The boy froze, his hand on the door as he heard his father approach.

"Where is your armor, knight?"

"I-I had to leave it at the base sir. I did not have time to put it on, for I was given strict orders to leave immediately…" his voice trailed off as he saw his father's face contort into rage.

"You worthless fool!" Berengier yelled, punching the boy in the gut. "A knight never leaves without his armor!" he shouted, punctuating each word with yet another blow. Lifting the bruised boy by his shirt, the general shoved him against the wall. "Listen to me, boy," he said, his face inches away from his terrified son's. "You may be of my blood, but you will never, ever be my son!" Throwing the beaten boy to the ground, he stomped out of the room.

The boy winced in pain as he lifted himself of the floor, blood flowing freely from his nose. Wiping his face with his shirt, he stumbled out after his father, knowing he would only be beaten again if he tarried.

**A/N: _Ok, so I know those were really short, but that was more or less the introduction, they'll get longer as the story goes on. Drop a review and tell me what you think! _**


	3. Chapter 3

_The birthplace of the knight Barigan is now home to the renowned Knights of  
Ilia…_

"_Where is that boy? I sent him out hours ago! Could he have been attacked by dragons…"_

"Captain Elise! Two riders are approaching the base!" a soldier cried, jerking the woman out of her reverie. Elise immediately ran towards the soldier, her silver chain mail barely weighing her down. Her long lavender hair freely blew in the wind as her sapphire eyes gazed up towards the approaching pegasi. With a clatter of hooves and a flutter of wings, the white winged-horses landed on the cobble stone field. Swiftly dismounting, Berengier callously handed the reins to a nearby stable boy and quickly headed towards the waiting duo.

"General Berengier, I am glad to see you have arrived safely," Elise said, falling in step beside him. "The commanders of the Second, Third, and Fifth Legion are awaiting you in the Strategy Room. In light of the recent attack on Aix, the men have been put on high alert, ready to carry out whatever is ordered."

"What's the butcher's bill on the battle?" Berengier asked as they neared the entrance to the keep.

"As you know, First Legion had half of its numbers garrisoned there, along with Commander Gefried. They were completely eradicated, and the few survivors are in critical condition in the infirmary. Most of the citizenry was killed, though there are some refugees camped outside the fort as you likely saw when you flew in."

"And what of the Duke?"

"He escaped, but he and his escort were attacked en route to the fort. He…it's not looking pretty, sir."

"Hmm, I had hoped Duke Charles would have escaped unscathed." Berengier murmured as the two reached the door to the keep. "Excellent report Captain, you are quite the asset to this army. Good soldiers should be rewarded for their service and loyalty, don't you think Captain, or should I say, Commander Elise?"

"Yes sir," Elise began, then the full weight of what the man had said hit her. "T-thank you sir! I swear on my honor as a Pegasus Knight I will not disappoint you!"

"See to it that you don't Commander. I would not want to regret my decision. You will take over command of the remainder of First Legion." He walked up the stone steps of the keep. "Oh, and see to it that the boy cleans himself up," Berengier said, casually gesturing back to the field. "We had a bit of trouble on the way here." Nodding to the two door guards, the general strode into the keep.

Rushing back to the airfield, Elise arrived just in time to see her brother collapse off of his pegasi and fall to the ground. "Barigan," she whispered, rolling the boy onto his back. Brushing his blue hair out of his face, Elise checked to see if anything was broken. Seeing that it wasn't, she carefully lifted her brother and carried him across the field to the infirmary.

* * *

"We cannot let this blatant attack stand! We must retaliate!" Ogier, commander of the Third Legion shouted, banging his huge fist on the table. A giant of a man known for a disposition as fiery as his beard, he often used his overbearing presence to get things the way he wanted. 

"But what can we possibly do! These are dragons we're talking about! We're horrendously outmatched! We're better off retreating, building up our defenses, and protecting what we can!" said Anseis, staring defiantly at the warrior across the table from him.

"You have the right idea, Anseis, but your plan still lacks substance. We cannot hope to stand against this threat alone. We should send emissaries to the neighboring regions and to the King to petition for help," advised Turpin, the most senior of the commanders.

General Berengier sat in is seat at the head of the table as the commanders bickered, calmly listening to all sides. Finally, he raised his hand, causing the room to immediately fall silent.

"Have you naught to say, Commander Elise?" All eyes turned towards the young woman sitting on the end. With slight jump, she slowly rose out of her seat.

"Sir, I do. All of you have good ideas, but each is lacking certain aspects of, excuse my bluntness, common sense. Ogier," she said, gesturing towards the warrior, "even if we brought the might of all seven legions to bear, there is no way we'd be able to win out in an all out conflict. Our armies would be burned to a crisp! Anseis, I had thought better of you! Yes, defense is important, but defense alone will not win this war. Turpin, your plan is a sound one, but I do not believe we should send out for help but should instead send a small scouting party to see if similar attacks have occurred elsewhere. In this dark time, we must show the rest of Elibe that even after such a devastating attack, the Knights of the Mountain Stronghold still hold strong!"

For a moment the whole room was silent, the commanders awed by the powerful speech Elise had given. Then Berengier began to laugh, a deep rumble coming from his chest. Crestfallen, Elise sat back down in her seat.

"I see I was not wrong in promoting you, Commander Elise." Berengier said, wiping his eyes. "What she said is true!" he roared immediately returning to his normal, gruff state. "If we are to survive this threat, we must come together as one! Ogier," he said, gesturing to the man on his right, "you and Commander Elise will see to the defense of Fort Aetherius. With the destruction of Aix, this will become our new seat of power. Anseis, take your battalion and travel to Glaston. See to it that it is properly defended. I believe that Sixth Legion is currently stationed at Fort Zephyr near there. Commander Elise, see to it that scouts are constantly in the air, we're going to need as much of a warning as we can get in case of another attack. Seeing as the Duke is unfit to rule, I, as General, will take temporary power. I swear as long as I still draw breath, the dragons will never destroy us!"

* * *

"_Barigan, Barigan!" a woman's voice calls out. In the trees above her, a young boy stifles a giggle and peers through the branches. The two have played this game before, and he knows he'll have to come down eventually._

"_Barigan, I'm leaving!" the woman calls again, walking out of the clearing, a light smile on her face. Suddenly, three bandits burst from the brush, clad in leather armor and each wielding a battle-axe. From his vantage point, Barigan can see and hear everything and looks on in horror as a bandit roughly grabs the woman and drags her off deeper into the forest, the two other bandits close behind._

_Alone, confused, and scared, Barigan sits in his tree, and cries…_

"Barigan, Barigan! Wake up!" a voice fiercely whispered. Barigan's eyes slowly opened to find Elise's worried face staring down on him. Taking a few bleary eyed looks around, he found that he was in the infirmary surrounded by small cots most of which were occupied by the survivors of Aix. The wounds ranged from minor cuts and scrapes to full body burns, skin blackened from the flames. Mages with mend and heal staffs wandered from cot to cot, bringing blissful relief to all those they touched.

"Elise, what are you doing here?" Barigan asked, wincing slightly as he sat up. Seeing his clothes in a chair next to him, he began to dress.

"I came to make sure you were alright. I'm surprised you made it to the Fort with the stress your body had been through." She fell silent, looking at the scars that covered his body. "What was this one about?" she asked.

Barigan froze, then slipped the shirt over his head. "I didn't have my armor on…I thought, I though that if I got there as fast as I could, if I delivered my report word for word…he would finally be proud of me…"

"Barigan…" Elise whispered, embracing her brother in a hug. They stood like that for a moment, then Barigan shrugged her off. He then turned to face her and snapped to attention

"Captain Elise sir, Private Barigan reporting! What are my orders?"

Elise recoiled, stunned by the sudden formality. Then with equal stiffness, she replied, "Glad to see you made it back safely, Private, and that's Commander to you. Your orders as per the General's wishes are to begin a scouting rotation in the surrounding areas. Return to your barracks, I'm sure your troops are awake at this hour. And do not delay; the General wants you in the air as soon as possible. You are dismissed."

"Yes sir!" Barigan replied. Grabbing his cloak, the young officer turned and began to walk towards the door.

"Barigan, wait!" Elise shouted, stopping the boy just as he opened the door to leave. "Because of your bravery in the face of peril, I am promoting you to Corporal," she said, closing the gap between them and handing him a small badge. "Wear it with honor, brother, for the recommendation came from General Berengier himself."

Barigan's eyes immediately grew wide, and he moved as if to embrace his sister, but he quickly stopped himself, snapping a salute in its stead. "Thank you, Commander!" he replied, then he stepped out into the chill, pre-dawn air.

"_All he wants is Father's respect." _Elise thought to herself as she watched her brother leave. "_I just hope he doesn't destroy himself to earn it…"_

* * *

**A/N: _Ok, so 36 hits should mean 36 reviews, right? Well, apparently not. But my whining aside so ends the first of the chapters where I shall introduce the dramatis personae of this soon to be epic story! Look out for Roland and the rest of the gang, along with a few, unexpected characters…Read and Review, or Flame and Review, whatever suits your fancy (but not too many flames, I have a low tolerance to burns)_**


	4. Chapter 4

_Once, dragons and men coexisted…_

"Get back here you filthy lizard!" Nergal heard a rough voice shout. Peering through the window of the tavern where he was eating his evening meal, he saw a woman garbed in a brown cloak run by, hood held tightly to her head. Close behind her were five brutish men, naked blades held in their hands.

Hastily stuffing the tome he had been studying in his knapsack, Nergal leapt out his booth and headed towards the tavern doors. "Just put it on my tab, Anna!" he called to the red-haired woman behind the bar, then dashed out into the crowded street, just in time to see the woman slip into an alley, the gang following. With a muttered curse, Nergal ran after them.

* * *

"End of the line scaly!" Ninis heard the man say as she stopped in front of the large brick wall at the end of the alley. Desperately looking around for a way out, she spied a pile of crates against the wall stacked up to within a few feet of the top. Scrambling up the crates, she reached the top and was just about to jump up to the edge of the wall when a rough, calloused hand seized her ankle, yanking her back down.

"You won't be getting away that easy, scale-face," the lead man growled cracking his knuckles ominously as his cronies dragged Ninis to the ground. Drawing a wickedly curved dagger, he advanced on the helpless woman. Using the tip, he flicked back her hood, revealing Ninis' terrified face.

"Well aren't you a pretty one," the man said, cupping Ninis' chin in his hand. "I think we should have a bit of fun with you before we leave your body in the gutter. What do you say to that boys?" The other men whooped loudly, grabbing and tearing at Ninis' cloak until it finally ripped off.

"Get your hands off her!" Nergal cried, just coming upon the desperate scene. Ninis' face lifted hopefully as the thugs let off their attack to turn and face the young man.

"And who the hell do you think you are, one of those dragon-lovers?" he scoffed, his men sniggering behind him. They had right to laugh, because Nergal was in no way intimidating. Tall and lanky, he was wearing white pants that met soft brown boots just below his knee. Over that was a grey robe lined with pale silver, tied at the waist with a red sash. Covering all this was a black cloak, held together by a small clasp at his neck. Coupled with the spectacles he wore on his face, his rather disheveled hair, the messenger bag slung across his back, and the fact that he wore not a trace of armor, he seemed a little threat, if any at all.

"Call me what you will, but I will not let you hurt this woman," he sternly replied, pulling a dark blue tome out of his bag. The gang put uneasy hands on their weapons, looking on to see their leader's reaction.

"Why the hell would you protect one of _her _kind?!" the man incredulously asked, gesturing back to where Ninis was cowering against the wall. "Don't you know what those filthy things did up in Aix? They burned the city to the ground, that's what!"

"How can you hate us based on the actions of one group?!" Ninis anguished, shakily standing up. "King Inkitmar himself issued a formal apology, citing the actions as that of a rouge group. Your king even pardoned him-"

"Shut up, you filthy lizard bitch!" one of the men snarled, knocking her to the ground with a punch to the jaw. He was about to strike the woman again when a ball of dark energy hit him square in the back, sending him flying into the wall with a sickening crack. All eyes immediately looked back to where Nergal was standing, dark wisps of magic swirling around his hands. The scene seemed to freeze, then the leader drew his sword.

"You bastard! You'll pay for that! Get him men!" the remaining three cronies drew their swords and charged the mage, screaming vengeance.

"Well, I guess now is as good a time as ever to try that new spell," Nergal muttered to himself, pulling another tome out of his pack, this one dark black with a red binding. Putting his hands together in front of his chest, he closed his eyes, seemingly oblivious to the bloodthirsty men charging him. They were no more than a few yards away when Nergal's eys snapped open.

"Luna!" he cried, throwing his hands out towards the men. An unperceivable darkness slowly began to form around the men until finally they were trapped in an opaque ball as black as a cold winter's night, dark purple threads of magic sparking around it. Suddenly the threads of purple slipped inside and three agonized screams rang out. The leader looked on in horror as the ball slowly faded away, nothing but the charred bones of his comrades remaining. Then he smirked as Nergal collapsed to his knees, cold sweat running down his face as he panted breathlessly.

"Looks like you've spent yourself, little mage," he snorted derisively, sauntering over to tower over the helpless shaman. The leader lifted his sword high, poised to take off Nergal's head. "The world won't mind the loss of one dragon-lover."

"_So this is how I'm to meet my end, eh?" _Nergal thought to himself, bracing himself for the strike. But it never came, the swish of the sword cutting the air replaced by a horrid gurgling. Looking up, Nergal saw the man drop his sword, a small dagger erupting from his throat. Behind him Ninis stood, driving the point in. With one final shudder the man fell, his body hitting the ground with a thud.

"Are you hurt?" Ninis asked as Nergal slowly rose to his feet.

"No, I'm fine, just a little tired," Nergal replied, wiping his face with a kerchief he'd pulled from his bag. "But I suppose I should be the one asking y-" he began, but the words got caught in his throat, for standing before him was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

Though muddied from her ordeal, her pale blue sleeveless dress flowed around her, perfectly matching her long cyan hair. On her wrist she wore bracers of the same color, with gold circlets just before her elbow.

But most striking were her eyes. Almost rose-like, her soft red eyes contrasted the pale blue she wore, but not so much as to make it jarring or uncomfortable to look upon.

"We should probably get away from here before the guard shows up," Nergal advised, tearing his eyes away from the angel before him. "I have a house in town, if you need somewhere to stay." Ninis paused, gazing up at the quickly darkening sky.

"I think that'd be a good idea," she agreed, following Nergal out of the alley. The two walked on, slipping into the shadows until the finally reached a small flat near the port.

"Well, this is it," Nergal said opening the oaken door. Ninis paused, uncertain whether or not she should enter, then stepped through. Her mouth fell open as she let out a soft gasp. Books of all sizes were laid on bookshelves throughout the house, some stacked in pile when there wasn't enough room. Manuscripts covered any available space that wasn't already taken.

"Umm, sorry about the mess," Nergal sheepishly said, closing the door behind him. "I don't get many guests."

"No, no it's fine," Ninis assured him, stepping over a discarded scroll. "I'm sorry, but I never caught your name."

"Oh, my mistake," Nergal replied rather embarrassedly. "It's Nergal, and you are?"

"Ninis," she responded with a small curtsie.

"Well, Ninis," Nergal said, turning towards the dragon, "Welcome to my humble abode."

* * *

**A/N: _Thanks to _Sora's Final Form, The Serenity, Lemurian-Girl, and wIlloFoNe792 _for reviewing, and sorry this came out so late. Lots of finals and stuff, but now I'm just making excuses. Also, if anyone has any Fire Emblem lore or a copy of the game script, that would be extremely helpful! Thanks again you four, and I'll try not to let you down!_**


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